The Archaic Style

The Archaic period in Greece is couched between the Greek Dark Ages and the Classical period. It covers the span of 800 BC to the second Persian invasion of the country in 480BC. Archaic sculpture in Greece applies to Archaic statues of naked youth, meaning a beardless man. In the Archaic Style in Greek Sculpture, the kouroi statues are characterized as “standing with one leg forward, feet flat on ground parallel to each other, and arms along the sides.” We can see the family of kouroi that the twin brothers derive from. Starting back in 630 BC with the Bronze Kouros from Delphi was fully erect, feet together similar to Egyptian influences. In the following years the Kouros from Attica in 600 BC, from Sounion in 590 BC, and the twins contemporary Kouros from Orchomenos in 580 BC all follow the stance John Boardman describes in Greek Sculpture: Function, Materials, and Techniques in Archaic and Classical Periods’ “Sources and

Materials” chapter. He describes the common feature of the young men’s stance as one foot slightly advanced. He explains, it “lends stability since the back-to-front depth of the plinth is thus at least doubled.” He goes on to state that the rational of the left foot being the advancing foot is because “we normally step off on the left foot.” Unlike most kouroi, the twins are not entirely nude. Upon further examination of their feet, thin boots can be detected as being worn and would have been more obvious when they were painted. Just after the end of the Archaic period, the ancient Greek historian, Heredotus published Histories in 430 BC. In that publication he told a tale of twin brothers that yoked themselves to their mother’s cart to deliver her to the festival of the goddess Hera. Herodotus’ story recounts how the young men’s mother, a priestess of Hera, asked the goddess to grant the highest blessing to her sons for their devotion to bring her to the festival from the city of Argos when their ox were missing. When the two brothers fell asleep that night in the temple they did not wake again. This peaceful death in their prime was the highest honor and would immortalize them in the eyes of the Argive people.. Monica Bulger arguing on behalf of that story points out that the twins “burly bodies seem to recall the deed that made them famous by clearly demonstrating their strength and even visually relating them to the oxen.” They become amongst the first kouroi to have a bend in their elbows suggesting movement as if they were pulling a cart. Though they have a similar engraved line on their chest suggesting musculature, their size and form by comparision to the previous kouroi are much greater. The insinuation of their muscles seems to inspire a further maturation of the abdominal six-packs of future kouroi, in particular the Anavyssos and Aristodikos Kouroi that follow.

Though most believe the twin statues are the actual ‘Twins’ of Argos from Herdotodus’ tale in the 430 BC Histories, some scholars argued that the two Archaic Greek Kouroi maybe the half-twin brothers in Greek mythology, known as Dioscuri, the sons of Zeus named Castor and Pollux. These two brothers were the patrons of sailors and known for their horsemanship. However, there is much more evidence to support the brothers of Argos are the same as recorded in Herodotus’ publications. Ridgway, Brunilde, and Sismondo suggest in The Archaic Style in Greek Sculpture, that the style of these two statues as opposed to others before and after had a localized style supported by their Daedalic features. John Boardman describes in Greek Sculpture: The Archaric Period, mentions their “extremely thick set bodies and tough flexed arms with the traces of the boots their wore recall the purpose of the dedication commemorating their strength.” And in George Karo’s Greek Personality in Archaic Sculpture, he suggests those well fitted boots appropriate “for the long tramp across the Argive plain, may be meant to recall hooves” of the ox that the young men substituted for when they brought their mother to the festival. Bulger also cites recent scientific analysis of the plinth’s inscription, “[---]medes the Argive made it,” suggests the creator came from Argos, which reinfoces the theory that they were votive offereings of Kleobis and Biton.

Question of the Day:

Pick one artifact sculpture or vase painting- in the archaeological museum and analyze it based on what you learned from your fellow students’ presentations.

Emma Thomes presented on the Phrasikleia Kore at the National Archeological Museum. The 540 BCE statue would be a contemporary of the Twin Kouroi located in Delphi. Remnants of her colorful facade uniquely still remained traced in her figure. Though she stands erect, the gesture of Phrasikleia’s arm taking her skirt and holding the lotus blossom in front of her further exemplifies the progression of movement in the Archaic sculptures. The Twins bent arms also initiated that trend forty years earlier. What was surprising about learning its history was the role of the kore and kourous as grave markers used by the rich and representing wealth and prestige. After visiting the mound with Thanos and Myrsini on our first evening, the value of community in Ancient Greece and erecting a built environment that served the society seemed to trump individual showmanship. Regardless of what clan she came from, Phrasikleia still came from a ruling clan. In contrast the Twins did not necessarily came from a ruling class as much as were revered because they had been honored by the goddess with their early deaths. Perhaps the fact that these statues were buried with the deceased is evidence that the core value of community and humility were still intact.

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May 2022

Question

of the Day:

Describe the key characteristics of the Mycenaean megaron. Illustrate the parts of the megaron with your own diagrams (plans, sections), annotated photos, and other material from your research.

The key characteristics of the Mycenaen Megaron are the formal entry or porch, the vestibule, and the hall itself containing a large circular hearth. The formal entry consists of dressed stones that appear flat and where no mortar is used. The formal entry has the Greek stylos which also means column as well as the instrument we use to write with. The Greek etymology of the stylos is ‘column’ or ‘pillar.’ The hearth was the heart and most important landmark. A hole was established for smoke to go up. It consisted of four columns to allow a lantern for light to come and go. The hearth was typically circular and measured approximately over three meters in diameter. The megaron also consisted a throne where the King resided. In Mycenaen, the king’s throne was located on the south side of the complex. The key characteristics of the Mycenaen Megaron are the formal entry or porch, the vestibule, and the hall itself containing a large circular hearth. The formal entry consists of dressed stones that appear flat and where no mortar is used. The formal entry has the Greek stylos which also means column as well as the instrument we use to write with. The Greek etymology of the stylos is ‘column’ or ‘pillar.’ The hearth was the heart and most important landmark. A hole was established for smoke to go up. It consisted of four columns to allow a lantern for light to come and go. The hearth was typically circular and measured approximately over three meters in diameter. The megaron also consisted a throne where the King resided. In Mycenaen, the king’s throne was located on the south side of the complex.

Greece

May 2022 Mycenae, 17

How can we understand the evolution of the temple form with respect to its site, at both the immediate scale and the larger scale of the landscape?

The evolution of the temple from its inception was about its orientation. With the intention of welcoming the morning with the eastern light to honor the gods. The priority on orienting the structure toward the morning light obscured front entries and/or resulted in the temples not being orthogonal to the landscape. The more obscure front entries, made the approach to these sacred spaces more ceremonial and mysterious. Once on site, the layers of the temple itself followed a similar structural sequence. On the exterior were Columns of the Doric Order that offered structural support. But then there were more columns surrounding the cella, an even deeper sacred space where the oracle dwelled.

The general landscape also played a major factor in selecting the site for such temples. In regard to the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, Mount Paranassos emitted vapors that produced hallucinations consumed by the oracle to give access to another world. The sanctuaries remoteness from major cities made the place more sacred and reinforced Apollo’s ability to be a neutral god. Since temples were constructed based on a communal fund, this neutrality must have enabled good will to give.

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May 2022

Question of the Day:

What is the relationship between the temple and color; how can we understand this in relation to both site context and aesthetic decoration?

The stark neutral temples that sprinkle the landscape of Greece today are such a misnomer of what they looked like in their era. Today a small flower seems like a stark visual contrast to the bare and muted temples. The relationship between temple and color are a bit reminiscent of Ruskin’s Seven Lamps of Memory. In Seven Lamps, Ruskin advocates for buildings to be built for at least 100 years. The architects and artists of ancient Greece were building things to last hundreds if not thousands of years. And with that awareness, chose a garish color palette knowing that they would fade over time and would need to be seen from very long distances. Very few would near, let alone enter the temples. So, the color scheme was almost an act of service to the vast majority that would never be close. The Greeks saw their gods in living color. Only after the British pillaging of Ancient Greece and excavation that found the temples and statues faded, did archeologist convince the world of the whiteness of antiquity. In more recent times a German archeologist named Vinzenz Brinkmann created “full-scale plaster or marble copies hand-painted in the same mineral and organic pigments used by the ancients.” The work of scholars like Brinkmann are rectifying our understanding of the precedents held dear by architecture.

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May 2022

Question of the Day:

How is the Altis (a temenos) defined at Olympia? Explore the form in plan and section, with special attention to both built forms and the landscape.

Altis was the sacred grove of Zeus at Olympia. It was a plain between two rivers on the north slope of the Alfeios Valley. It was the site of the first Olympics. The games were established to encourage peace. It was a place you could win honor without having to partake in brutality against others. There is a component of humility necessary to participate in the games. The Altis consisted of the Temples of Zeus and Hera, alters, votive offerings, small treasuries, and administrative buildings. The Tempe of Zeus was built in approximately 470-456 BC. It was a Doric Hexastyle Temple with six columns in front, built right before the Parthenon. In this temple lay people could approach it and go to the upper level to visit the huge statue of Zeus. Like other temples it was sponsored by city states. The Temple of Hera was built in around 590 BC in the Archaic times. It is one of the oldest Doric Temples in Greece and the oldest within the Altis. Outside of the sacred space that was lined with olive trees was the stadium, the hippodrome, baths, gymnasium, palestra, and other accommodations for visitors.

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May

Question of the Day:

How do you describe the system of civic representation in the Athenian agora, and how can you compare it with the American Democratic Republic?

The system of civic representation in the Athenian agora known as democracy took place between 460 to 320 BCE. Under this system any man, born of Athenian heads of households were considered a citizen. Eventually it would be all males born of both Athenian mothers and fathers. However, salves, women, and foreigners were never citizens and therefore would not be participants in this famed democracy. All those that did meet the criteria had equal political rights, freedom of speech, and opportunity to participate directly in the political arena of the assembly or ekklesia. The assembly met at least once a month on the Pnyx Hill which could accommodate 6000 citizens. The assemblies would be organized by a smaller council called the boule. The boule consisted of 500 citizens, fifty from each tribe, chosen by lot, and with term limits of two, one-year terms max. Within the boule, there was another executive committee which contained fifty members of one tribe of the ten. They were elected to office on rotation, so a different tribe held power each year. This group had a different chairman every day and met in the Bouleuterion in the Athenian agora. Because people were chosen at random and were constrained for how long they could serve in office, no one individual or small group could dominate or influence strictly the decision-making process directly or indirectly. In contrast to the modern American Democratic Republic, there are no safeguards to prevent certain individuals to stay in office and unduly influence and manipulate the democratic process.

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May 2022

Question of the Day:

How is the space within the pediment resolved to receive sculpture; how has this changed over time?

The composition of the figures is the primary way in which the sculptures fit within the tympanum; the space enclosed by the pediment. “Their posture varies in order to accommodate the slope of the pediment that originally framed them.” (Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/ ancient-mediterranean-ap/greece-etruria-rome/a/the-parthenon) Aside from their postures there is clear compositional symmetry that balances the pediment with the most important figures in the center looming largest in the overall frame of the pediment. The use of drapery to illustrate the sculptures’ bodies enables the artist to configure the sculptures into the recesses of the corner of the pediments. Since the pediments were so high off the ground, some elements of optical refinement were incorporated into the figures for that vantage point. More depth was required to fit all the elements on the pediment, therefore the tympanum was recessed from the edge of the lintel it sat upon. In the Parthenon, because it was a temple to the gods and Athena in particular, no expense was sparred to have the sculptures be as detailed from the back view as it was from the front even though it would not be seen by the public. Phidias, the architect and sculptor, was clear on that mandate and value of honoring the goddess. Over time in Europe and during the Renaissance and neo-classical eras, some pediments turn into arches and in other cases rather than sculptural figures, texts or clocks are used to fill in the space.

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May 2022

Question of the Day:

What makes a Greek city? What types of buildings are needed?

Aside from domestic houses as referred to by Vitruvius, the buildings and structures that make up a Greek city consisted of 1. An Acropolis- located on an upper part of a city often on a hill and chosen for purposes of defense. It often contained 2. Temples that are often the best-known Greek typology. Often associated with temples were 3. Treasuries, housing the wealth and/or votive offerings of city states, as opposed to wealthy individuals. They were smaller versions of temples with thick fortified walls and iron gates outside of the city walls in hard-tofind places. As a center aspect of city living were 4. Agoras- the marketplace or plaza where the daily business and sharing of news took place and where the main roads of the city led to. Bordering these agoras were always 5. Stoas, offering covering above, entry between any of its columns, and at times stalls to shop from against the back wall. Also particular to a Greek city was the presence of 6. Palestras/Gymnasiums and Stadiums. Not only did these spaces offer physical exertion to the men of the city but were intertwined with intellectual pursuits and contained libraries and philosophers that engaged the men in scholarly interrogation. They were sites for education and physical and intellectual training. As part of the cultural landscape 7. Theaters were found in Greek cities, with the first being built between 525-470 BCE at Thorikos (https://www.thoughtco. com/greek-architecture-basics-4138303). The rich tradition of the Greek’s engagement with plays and acting led to these formal structures.

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May 2022

Question of the Day:

Summarize the optical refinements at the Parthenon; discuss these in relationship to appearance and construction.

The Parthenon was a celebration of mathematics and geometry as they were considered pathways to the divine. Around the perimeter of the temple, each column narrows at the top, widens toward the middle, and leans inward. Collectively, the columns are not equidistant. The corner columns are slightly bigger and closer together. The devices used to connect the spandrel of the columns was made of iron clamps and wood. It allowed the pieces to be centered on top of each other and once all the pieces were in place the fluting could be carved out. The ceiling was all level, but the floor was not. A band was placed around the floor to make it look level. Along the long side, the corners of the floor are eleven centimeters higher than the middle of that edge. And on the short side, the corners are five centimeters higher than the middle of that edge. There is debate if the bowing of the floor for aesthetic purposes or for drainage issues. The irregularities of the structure, however, were intentional knowing that the optical illusions of the eye on such a large structure would actually be needed so that the building would look rectilinear. Not a single piece of the Parthenon has the same dimensions and no building had such a rich program.

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May 2022

Question of the Day:

Analyze the theater in relation to Vitruvius’s writing (Book V, translated by Morgan).

In Book V of Vitruvius’, The Ten Books on Architecture, translated by Dr. Morris Hicky Morgan, he goes into some detail about the Greek theatres. He explains the configuration of the orchestra and the geometry within it to determine the aisles and the position of the proscenium. He concludes that “the Greeks have a roomier orchestra” and a shallower stage [152]. However, with further examination of the Theatre at Epidaurus, the proscenium or stage do not follow Vitruvius’ rule. In fact, the orchestra is even “roomier” than he described and the stage shallower. Since the Greeks used the entire orchestra and the logeion, or high stage for actors to perform, perhaps the lower stage’s depth was not as necessary. Vitruvius also addresses the heights of the hyposkenion columns that hold up the portico or logeion. He claims that they should be between ten and twelve feet tall. Finally, a topic he discusses regarding both Roman and Greek theaters is the issue of acoustics. Site selection for sun orientation, but also for “where the voice has a gentle fall” [153]. At the Theatre at Epidaurus, the slope of the seats served as a seal that effected the sound. If the theater was too full, the acoustics were not as good because there had developed some dependence on the sound bouncing back off the empty seats.

Greece

May 2022